Category: Market News

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding (NYSE:BABA) may reveal how global issues are impacting the company and how diversification into AI might help future growth when the company reports its first-quarter financial results on Friday before the market opens.

Earnings Estimates: Analysts expect Alibaba to report first-quarter revenue of $34.26 billion, down from $33.47 billion in last year’s first quarter, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

The company missed analyst estimates for revenue in the fourth quarter, but has beaten estimates in seven of the last 10 quarters overall.

Analysts expect the company to report first-quarter earnings per share of $1.95, down from $2.26 in last year’s first quarter. The company has beaten analyst estimates for earnings in two straight quarters and seven of the previous 10 quarters overall.

Read Also: Chinese Stocks Sink As Bubble Fears Revive Memories Of 2015 Crash

Key Items to Watch: Several analysts have lowered their price targets on Alibaba stock ahead of the earnings release, including Barclays and Bank of America Securities.

The stock, and other Chinese stocks, have also found their way being sold or stakes lowered in investment portfolios of top hedge funds in recent months, including Bridgewater, Appaloosa and Coatue Management.

Once known best for its e-commerce in China, investors and analysts may be excited to hear more about Alibaba’s growth in the cloud and AI sectors, two of the fastest-growing areas.

A report stated that Alibaba and Baidu were the leaders in China’s public cloud services for artificial intelligence in 2024, each representing around a 25% market share. The company’s AI coding model, Qwen 3 coder, has been gaining global traction.

In the fourth quarter, Alibaba’s Cloud Intelligence Group was a key performer with revenue up 18% year-over-year. The growth of the segment outperformed that of many of the company’s other segments. The company stated that the increased adoption of AI-related products contributed to the segment’s growth.

Another area to watch is Alibaba’s growth outside of China, with the company’s International Digital Commerce Group posting a year-over-year increase of 22% in the fourth quarter, driven by its cross-border businesses.

With the United States making imports from China more difficult and imposing tariffs on goods from many countries, Alibaba’s report could reveal the significant impact the Trump administration is having on its business in the U.S. and how diversification in China and other regions can mitigate any challenges.

BABA Price Action: Alibaba stock is down 1.4% to $120.45 on Thursday, versus a 52-week trading range of $80.06 to $148.43. Alibaba stock is up 41.8% year-to-date in 2025.

Read Next:

• 44 Public Companies Make Time’s Most Influential List: Coinbase, UFC, Nintendo, Netflix And More Stocks Investors Can Buy

Photo: Shutterstock

Shares of Affirm Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:AFRM) are trading higher Thursday morning ahead of the “buy now, pay later” leader’s fourth-quarter earnings report, scheduled for release after the market close.

What To Know: Wall Street anticipates the fintech firm to report earnings per share of approximately 30 cents on revenues around $838 million. This quarter’s results are on watch following a mixed market reaction to its third-quarter report in May.

Bolstering investor confidence this month have been several positive catalysts. On August 12, Affirm announced an expanded partnership with Google, integrating its flexible payment options into Google Pay’s autofill feature on the Chrome browser, widening its potential user base. This was followed by a series of price target revisions from analysts at Jefferies, JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley.

The report comes against a backdrop of growing consumer adoption of buy now, pay later services. A recent LendingTree survey highlighted that a record number of Americans are utilizing installment loans for purchases, including everyday necessities like gas and groceries, as rising costs continue to squeeze household budgets.

Investors will be closely watching Affirm’s new user growth and transaction volumes to gauge how effectively the company has capitalized on this inflationary trend to close out its fiscal year.

Price Action: According to data from Benzinga Pro, AFRM shares are trading higher by 2.3% to $79.38 Thursday morning. The stock has a 52-week high of $82.53 and a 52-week low of $30.90.

Read Also: US Economy Roars Back With 3.3% Growth, Shrugging Off Trump Tariffs

How To Buy AFRM Stock

Besides going to a brokerage platform to purchase a share – or fractional share – of stock, you can also gain access to shares either by buying an exchange traded fund (ETF) that holds the stock itself, or by allocating yourself to a strategy in your 401(k) that would seek to acquire shares in a mutual fund or other instrument.

For example, in Affirm Holdings’ case, it is in the Financials sector. An ETF will likely hold shares in many liquid and large companies that help track that sector, allowing an investor to gain exposure to the trends within that segment.

Image: Shutterstock

Gainers

Symbol	Name	Price	Change ($)	Change (%)	Volume
(NYSE:XLI)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Industrial	153.86	0.71	0.46	1.6K
(NYSE:XLB)	Materials Select Sector SPDR	92.51	0.36	0.39	9.2K
(NYSE:XLF)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Financial	53.91	0.13	0.24	149.8K
(NYSE:XLV)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Health Care	137.22	0.25	0.18	6.3K
(NYSE:XLP)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Consumer Staples	80.90	0.13	0.16	10.1K
(NYSE:XLE)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Energy Select Sector	89.35	0.13	0.14	13.4K
(NYSE:XLU)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Utilities	85.32	0.04	0.04	1.5K
(NYSE:XLK)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Technology	264.55	0.10	0.03	20.2K

Losers

Symbol	Name	Price	Change ($)	Change (%)	Volume
(NYSE:XLC)	The Communication Services Select Sector SPDR Fund	111.07	-0.12	-0.11	143

Pulled from Benzinga Pro data this sector movers alerts can help traders understand macro-level market trends. Traders often look for sector movers to provide high-level analysis on which sectors are over- or under-performing to make better investing decisions on exchange traded funds (ETFs) or individual tickers in those sectors.

For more information on sector movers, click here.

Webull Corporation (NASDAQ:BULL) aims to highlight recent wins in cryptocurrency and its evolution since going public, as the company reports second-quarter financial results on Thursday after the market close.

Earnings History

Webull went public in April after completing a SPAC merger. Shares soared after their debut with the company, among the top trending names among retail traders for weeks after the market debut.

Since going public, shares have pulled back and investors and analysts now look to company announcements and financial results to show the investment case for the company moving forward.

There are no current analyst estimates for the company’s second-quarter financial results.

In the first quarter, Webull reported revenue of $117.37 million, up 32% year-over-year. The company also reported a loss of 6 cents per share, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

Webull said the revenue growth came from account growth and higher trading volumes. In the first quarter, total customer assets were up 45% year-over-year, with registered users hitting 24.1 million, up 17% year-over-year.

Read Also: Retail Investors’ Top Stocks With Q2 Earnings This Week: NVIDIA, Webull, IREN And More

What to Watch in Q2 Results

Investors and analysts will be looking for updates on revenue and earnings per share, while other key metrics like assets on the platform and registered users could show healthy growth going forward.

“We will remain focused on broadening our product portfolio, introducing new asset classes, and expanding access to customers globally,” Webull U.S. CEO Anthony Denier said after first quarter results.

Cryptocurrency will be a major topic for the company in its results and management commentary. After previously pausing its cryptocurrency trading, Webull re-launched in Brazil in June and recently re-launched in the U.S. this week.

Webull offers cryptocurrency trading in the U.S., featuring more than 50 different cryptocurrencies. The list includes the big names like Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) and Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) and also popular smaller cryptos like Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE), Pudgy Penguin Coin (CRYPTO:PENGU), Official Trump Coin (CRYPTO: TRUMP) and Pepe Coin (CRYPTO: PEPE).

The U.S. trading platform also allows users to buy and sell stocks, options, and cryptocurrency on the same platform, whereas previously, crypto was a separate app.

The reintroduction of cryptocurrency trading comes with improved regulatory clarity, according to the company. The company said previously that it expects to launch cryptocurrency trading in more markets later this year. Investors and analysts could get an update on that front on Thursday.

BULL Price Action

BULL Price Action: Webull shares were down 2.83% at $14.57 at the time of publication on Wednesday, pulling back 7.28% this month but still up 10.00% since the start of the year. The stock is trading near its 52-week low of $9.53, according to Benzinga Pro data.

Read Next:

• Webull Stock Slides On $1 Billion Equity Financing Deal And Dilution Concerns

Photo: gguy/Shutterstock

Shiba Inu (CRYPTO: SHIB) has seen its burn rate skyrocket over the last day, helping shift momentum from a downtrend into an uptrend. Traders suggest the meme coin could now be entering a rally phase after weeks of consolidation.

Cryptocurrency	Ticker	Price	Market Cap	7-Day Trend
Shiba Inu	(CRYPTO: SHIB)	$0.00001247	$7.3 billion	+0.9%
Dogecoin	(CRYPTO: DOGE)	$0.2197	$33.1 billion	+2.2%
Pepe	(CRYPTO: PEPE)	$0.00001011	$4.3 billion	-2.8%

Trader Notes: Crypto trader Kamran Ashgar questioned if SHIB’s lengthy consolidation is finally over, hinting at potential for a “massive expansion” ahead.

$SHIB‘s consolidation phase is over.? The chart is now poised for a massive expansion. pic.twitter.com/CGGGXXwxAe

—

Gainers

Symbol	Name	Price	Change ($)	Change (%)	Volume
(NYSE:XLU)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Utilities	85.490	0.230	0.26	797
(NYSE:XLV)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Health Care	137.368	0.318	0.23	2.5K
(NYSE:XLB)	Materials Select Sector SPDR	92.130	0.210	0.22	503
(NYSE:XLC)	The Communication Services Select Sector SPDR Fund	111.230	0.230	0.20	278
(NYSE:XLP)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Consumer Staples	80.560	0.030	0.03	2.9K

Losers

Symbol	Name	Price	Change ($)	Change (%)	Volume
(NYSE:XLF)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Financial	53.62	-0.05	-0.10	85.2K
(NYSE:XLE)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Energy Select Sector	88.18	-0.05	-0.06	13.0K

Pulled from Benzinga Pro data this sector movers alerts can help traders understand macro-level market trends. Traders often look for sector movers to provide high-level analysis on which sectors are over- or under-performing to make better investing decisions on exchange traded funds (ETFs) or individual tickers in those sectors.

To read more about sector movers, click here.

Technology giant NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) could serve as a barometer for market strength and multiple sectors when the company reports second-quarter financial results after market close Wednesday.

Here are the earnings estimates from analysts, what experts are saying ahead of the report and the key items to watch.

Earnings Estimates

Analysts expect Nvidia to report second-quarter revenue of $45.89 billion, up from $30.04 billion in last year’s second quarter, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

The company has beaten analyst estimates for revenue in 11 straight quarters.

The estimated revenue would set a new company record, surpassing the first-quarter total of $44.06 billion.

Analysts expect Nvidia to report second-quarter earnings per share of $1.00, up from 68 cents per share in last year’s second quarter.

The company has beaten analyst estimates for earnings per share in 11 straight quarters.

Previous guidance from the company called for second-quarter revenue of $45.0 billion, +/- 2%, which includes the loss of $8.0 billion in H20 revenue due to the controls on exports to China.

Read Also: Nvidia’s Epic Stock Run Hits A Wall—And $150 Is Suddenly In Focus

What Experts Are Saying

Analysts have been raising their price targets on Nvidia stock ahead of the earnings report.

Nvidia stock could move around 7% based on historical reactions, Freedom Capital Markets Chief Market Strategist Jay Woods said in a weekly newsletter.

“Saying this is the most important stock in the world is an understatement. The stock’s average move after an earnings release is +/- 7.4%, so just an average move will make an impact on the entire market,” Wood said.

In the newsletter, Woods breaks down the high weighting for Nvidia in top stock market indexes and ETFs.

“Given that it is the largest market capitalized firm in the world with a valuation of $4.34 trillion, it holds the highest weighting of any stock.”

In the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY), Nvidia is the top holding at 8.0% of assets.

In the Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ), Nvidia is the top holding at 10.1% of assets.

In the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average (NYSE:DIA), Nvidia is the 19^th largest holding at 2.4% of assets.

While it has a smaller weighting in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Nvidia is one of the rare stocks included in that index, along with the S&P 500, and is a member of the Magnificent 7, which covers some of the most closely watched stock groups.

Woods shares that Nvidia is also a top holding in the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SMH) and the SPDR Technology Select ETF (NYSE:XLK) at around 22% and 16% respectively.

“As Nvidia goes, so go most of the semiconductor stocks and AI plays. They are the dominant player in the space and positive forward guidance combined with continued strong demand will likely lift the sector. Any surprising slowdown and the negative impact could be dramatic.”

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives expects strong earnings from Nvidia, the company he says is powering AI infrastructure on a global scale.

“The Street continues to estimate the demand curve for the AI Revolution being led by Nvidia,” Ives recently tweeted. “This week’s earnings will be another flex the muscles moment for Nvidia and the AI Revolution bull thesis.”

Gene Munster of Deepwater Asset Management said investors are too focused on the short-term numbers for Nvidia and missing the future growth.

“For the next two years, we’re still early in the AI data center buildout,” Munster said.

Munster said physical AI will be the growth engine after data center growth drops, adding that robotics could become the next growth market.

Key Items to Watch

The earnings and guidance from Nvidia will take center stage on Wednesday, with the stock likely to react immediately to the headline numbers.

Diving deeper into the results and commentary, China is likely to become a significant topic that could impact the movement of the stock. Nvidia has missed out on revenue due to restrictions on exports to China.

With the Trump administration attempting to capture a portion of revenue from exports to China, and China counterattacking with red flags against U.S. chipmakers, the battle over whether Nvidia will experience revenue growth in the Chinese market continues.

The Data Center segment is the company’s largest, and the segment saw 73% year-over-year growth in the first quarter, the highest of the four main reporting segments. Revenue for the segment was up only 10% quarter-over-quarter, showing slowing growth for the company.

Investors and analysts will likely look to the year-over-year and quarter-over-quarter percentages to determine the stage of growth Nvidia finds itself in.

Gaming & AI PC and Automotive segment revenue was up 42% year-over-year and up 72% year-over-year respectively in the first quarter. These are other sectors analysts and investors will be watching.

NVDA Price Action

Nvidia stock is up 1.3% to $86.63 on Tuesday versus a 52-week trading range of $86.63 to $184.48. Nvidia stock is up 31.7% year-to-date.

Read Next:

• Nvidia’s Big Moment Is Here: Will AMD’s Saudi Arabia Megadeal Upstage It?

Image created using photos from Shutterstock.

Snowflake Inc (NYSE:SNOW) is scheduled to report its fiscal second-quarter results on Wednesday.

Of the 27 data points collected on the company, 85% are positive this quarter versus 50% in the previous quarter, according to Citizens JMP Securities.

The Snowflake Analyst: Analyst Patrick Walravens reiterated a Market Outperform rating and price target of $260.

The Snowflake Thesis: Snowflake guided to product revenue growth of 25% for the quarter, representing a sequential deceleration from 26%, which requires “only a 2% beat to drive acceleration compared to the 5% beat last quarter,” Walravens said in the note.

Check out other analyst stock ratings.

A report published by the MIT Networked Agents and Decentralized AI (NANDA) initiative suggests that there is widespread adoption of tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, but “even more widespread (95%) failure to achieve measurable P&L impact,” the analyst wrote. This is mainly because most GenAI systems do not learn, he added.

The company addresses a huge opportunity that is expected to more than double to $355 billion in 2029, from $170 billion in 2024 and the TAM (total addressable market) is large enough for both Snowflake and its rival Databricks, Walravens further stated.

SNOW Price Action: Shares of Snowflake is flat at $194.50 at the time of publication on Tuesday.

Read More:
• Retail Investors’ Top Stocks With Q2 Earnings This Week: NVIDIA, Webull, IREN And More

Photo: Shutterstock

In the current market session, Kimco Realty Inc. (NYSE:KIM) share price is at $22.19, after a 0.05% decrease. Over the past month, the stock went up by 1.66%, but over the past year, it actually fell by 3.73%. With good short-term performance like this, and questionable long-term performance, long-term shareholders might want to start looking into the company’s price-to-earnings ratio.

Kimco Realty P/E Compared to Competitors

The P/E ratio measures the current share price to the company’s EPS. It is used by long-term investors to analyze the company’s current performance against it’s past earnings, historical data and aggregate market data for the industry or the indices, such as S&P 500. A higher P/E indicates that investors expect the company to perform better in the future, and the stock is probably overvalued, but not necessarily. It also could indicate that investors are willing to pay a higher share price currently, because they expect the company to perform better in the upcoming quarters. This leads investors to also remain optimistic about rising dividends in the future.

Compared to the aggregate P/E ratio of the 38.96 in the Retail REITs industry, Kimco Realty Inc. has a lower P/E ratio of 27.07. Shareholders might be inclined to think that the stock might perform worse than it’s industry peers. It’s also possible that the stock is undervalued.

In summary, while the price-to-earnings ratio is a valuable tool for investors to evaluate a company’s market performance, it should be used with caution. A low P/E ratio can be an indication of undervaluation, but it can also suggest weak growth prospects or financial instability. Moreover, the P/E ratio is just one of many metrics that investors should consider when making investment decisions, and it should be evaluated alongside other financial ratios, industry trends, and qualitative factors. By taking a comprehensive approach to analyzing a company’s financial health, investors can make well-informed decisions that are more likely to lead to successful outcomes.

Gainers

Symbol	Name	Price	Change ($)	Change (%)	Volume
(NYSE:XLV)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Health Care	136.51	0.31	0.22	18.0K
(NYSE:XLP)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Consumer Staples	81.13	0.07	0.08	7.0K
(NYSE:XLI)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Industrial	151.72	0.11	0.07	7.1K
(NYSE:XLC)	The Communication Services Select Sector SPDR Fund	111.54	0.05	0.04	818
(NYSE:XLRE)	Real Estate Select Sector SPDR Fund (The)	42.14	0.01	0.02	783
(NYSE:XLK)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Technology	261.88	0.05	0.01	14.5K

Losers

Symbol	Name	Price	Change ($)	Change (%)	Volume
(NYSE:XLE)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Energy Select Sector	87.9700	-0.400	-0.46	22.8K
(NYSE:XLY)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Consumer Discretionary	232.1200	-0.510	-0.22	846
(NYSE:XLF)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Financial	53.2100	-0.050	-0.10	62.9K
(NYSE:XLU)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Utilities	85.0046	-0.065	-0.08	2.6K

Pulled from Benzinga Pro data the above sector movers alert assists traders in understanding macro-level trends and market variations. Traders will look for sector movers providing information on sectors that are over- or under-performing, deriving these results into investing decisions on exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or individual tickers in those sectors.

To read more about sector movers, click here.